The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Friday voted to stop recommending infants receive the hepatitis B shot at birth, pushing it until a baby is 2 months old for children born to mothers who test negative for the virus.

The panel voted 8-2 to recommend individual decision-making in consultation with a healthcare provider to determine when or if to give the hepatitis B birth dose to an infant whose mother tested negative for the virus, CBS News reported.

During the panel's meeting on Thursday, members had disagreements and were confused over the voting language, resulting in their decision to push the vote to Friday morning instead of holding it on Thursday afternoon as scheduled, NBC News reported. The committee was originally supposed to vote on the hepatitis B vaccine schedule in September.

ACIP usually evaluates new vaccines or new indications for them, rather than reviewing shots that have been administered in the same way for decades.

For 34 years, the CDC has recommended that all newborns get a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth. 

The panel is considering whether to change that guidance, instead suggesting that women who test negative for hepatitis B decide in consultation with a healthcare provider whether their baby should get the dose at birth.

By early afternoon on Thursday, multiple committee members expressed confusion over what they were voting on and noted issues with the voting language.

“Perhaps this was written by the department of redundancy department,” said ACIP member Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist.

The committee’s chair, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, was not present for the decision to postpone the hepatitis B vote. Panel vice chair Dr. Robert Malone said Milhoan was “about to jump on a plane to go to Asia and would not be available, I believe, for [the discussion] tomorrow.”

American College of Physicians President Dr. Jason Goldman said during the meeting that the proceedings amounted to “political theater.”

“You are wasting taxpayer dollars by not having scientific, rigorous discussion on issues that truly matter,” Goldman said. “The best thing you can do is adjourn the meeting and discuss vaccine issues that actually need to be taken up.”

Hepatitis B is an incurable infection that can lead to liver disease, cancer, and death, and can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery.

ACIP on Friday is also expected to discuss the entire childhood immunization schedule, in addition to the presence of aluminum salts found in many childhood vaccines.